How CalDAV Syncing Works

BusyCal (for both iOS and Mac) and the built-in Calendar app on iOS and OS X are CalDAV clients that sync with a CalDAV server.

This means any data you enter into the built-in Calendar app on iOS or OS X will sync to BusyCal through the server, and vice versa. As long as you have all client apps configured to sync with the same server, all your calendar data remain in sync.

Connect to a CalDAV Server

To sync BusyCal with a CalDAV server, do the following:

Go to Settings > Accounts.

Tap Add Account.

Tap the Connect button next to CalDAV.

Enter your username and password, and the server address, and tap Add.

If you want to sync calendars between an iOS device and a Mac or share calendars with others without having to rely on a cloud syncing service like iCloud or Google, you can host your own CalDAV server on your local area network.

BusyCal (for both iOS and Mac) and the built-in Calendar app on iOS and OS X are all client apps that sync with CalDAV servers. This means any data you enter into one client app will sync to all other client apps through the server. As long as you have all client apps configured to sync with the same server, all your calendar data remains in sync.

Calendars Must Be Hosted on Server

All calendars you want to sync between your iOS devices, Macs, and other users, must be hosted on the CalDAV server. You cannot sync calendars from other sources (iCloud, Google, Exchange, etc.) to the server.

Other CalDAV Servers

If OS X Server doesn’t meet your needs, you may want to consider other third-party servers, such as Kerio or Zimbra. Both servers support CalDAV and Exchange EWS protocols and are fully compatible with BusyCal.

BusyCal enables you to share calendars with other users who are syncing with the same CalDAV server. Once each user has configured BusyCal to sync with their personal account on the CalDAV server, you can share calendars with each other. When a calendar is shared, events can be edited by any user, and changes sync between them.

You can share a calendar through CalDAV with other CalDAV users in your organization, but you must set this up using BusyCal for Mac (or another CalDAV client); you can’t enable sharing in BusyCal for iOS. For details, see Sharing Calendars with Others through CalDAV in the BusyCal for Mac help.

Notifications of Changes to Shared Calendars

When sharing calendars with others, you can choose whether changes to that calendar made by other people appear in your Inbox. To do so, go to Settings > Calendars and tap the “i” icon next to the calendar name. Then turn Notify Of Changes on or off.

Tap the Inbox (next to the gear icon) to display your notifications.

Tap OK to dismiss each message in the Inbox. Or, tap Clear All to dismiss all messages with a single tap.